Abstract
Meristem, which sustains a reservoir of niche cells at its apex, is the most functionally dynamic part in a plant body. The shaping of the meristem requires constant cell division and cell elongation, that are regulated by hormones and cell cytoskeletal components, actin. Although the roles of hormones in regulating meristem development have been extensively studied, the role of actin in this process is still elusive. Using the single and double mutants of the vegetative class actin, we demonstrate that ACT7 plays a primary role in regulating the root meristem development. In absence of ACT7, but not ACT8 and ACT2, cellular depolymerization of actin is observed. Consistently, act7 mutant shows reduced cell division, cell elongation and meristem length. Intracellular distribution and trafficking of auxin transport proteins in the actin mutants revealed that ACT7 specifically functions in root meristem to facilitate the trafficking of auxin efflux carriers PIN1 and PIN2, and consequently the transport of auxin. Compared with act7, act7act8 double mutant shows slightly enhanced phenotypic response and altered intracellular trafficking. The altered distribution of auxin in act7 and act7act8 affects the roots response to ethylene but not to cytokinin. Collectively, our results suggest that Arabidopsis root meristem development is primarily controlled through actin isovariant ACT7 mediated modulation of auxin-ethylene response.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.